I expect there are a lot of new eyes on my website due to the amount of people now buying poultry.​To introduce myself, I am Janine Zschech, the sole owner/occupant of Adelaide Chicken Sitting Service.

I am a Poultry Pet Sitter and Poultry Educator

I do NOT sell poultryI am NOT a breederBut I can help you source what you are looking for.

I do NOT buy or take UNWANTED poultryI do NOT RESCUE poultryPlease search my blog for rehoming advice. This may change from time to time. The basics remain the same.

I do NOT kennel any birds or poultryI come to your backyard to care for the pets on your property for their health, safety and comfort.I practice strong biosecurity to keep birds healthy (not to bring in disease or pests).I pet sit within a half hour drive of Sheidow Park (SA 5158). Costs double outside of my zone.

I am NOT a vetI do give sound advice for free via email, text, comments on posts and by phone.I will direct you to a vet when I can identify that your poultry need more help than a home remedy.I have a farming background, so my advice is based in sound working knowledge.

I do NOT sell any productsI can help you locate the right product that you need and the general cost and directions on how to use the product.

I do NOT have any incubators for loanI can help you source incubators (ahead of time!) as well as setting up a brooder for hatched chicks.

I will NOT help you source poultry for slaughter, cock fighting or ritualsI support backyard chicken keepers who want to keep chickens for their company and fresh eggs.I also support those who need to help find a location for dispatch from their own flock.

I do NOT do any advertising on my websiteI do give product reviews here on my blog which will contain positive and negative feedback, as well as how to use a product or service.

If any of the poultry display any of the amount signs, please report this to your local vet. Disease management starts with you so that the spread can be mapped, controlled and the right vaccines can be on hand for future flocks. It helps the vets to be able to recognise an outbreak if every backyard poultry owner reports an incident.(This does not mean a vet bill, it just means a phone call in most cases).

Not every symptom will be visible in every case.

Take preventative steps and practice strong biosecurity measures immediately.Go for yard lock down and separate sick poultry from those who are not yet presenting with symptoms. Use different boots in the yard, wash all equipment, use a quarantine coop or pop up pet tent inside your house or car shed.

Do not take poultry out of your yard except for veterinary care.

Do not worm the poultry during this time, instead opt for probiotics and vitamin supplements in their water or feed.

Vaccinations against these disease can only be done at the time of hatching, not during their adult life.​There may an exception to one or two diseases but later vaccines prove to be waste of time in many cases. Once the disease has occurred, the hens become life time carriers. (All in/All out approach is best for those wishing to breed).

Do not bring in any new poultry or sell any of your existing poultry for the next 6-8 weeks after the last sick hen has recovered. No chicken sales for the next two months!

Decide if culling may be required. In the case of Marek's Disease, there must be an immediate cull to prevent spread.

Every supermarket meat department sells whole raw chickens that weigh EXACTLY 2kg. Not 2.1kg or 1.9kg, not like the beef mined meat. There is a secret behind this.

Anyone who has ever dispatched their own poultry to eat knows that meat does not have water cook out of it nor look as plump as the supermarket variety. But the home dispatch surpasses any supermarket chicken in flavour, hands down.

Here's what really happens to our meat. This is why water fills your pan. Yes, this happens to all other meats too.
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We are paying for this.

Author

You can take the girl out of the country but you can't take the country out of the girl. As an ex-Barossa gal now living in suburban Adelaide, South Australia, Janine Zschech is not only a serious chicken lady but a genuine advocate for self-sufficiency and education of children to the knowledge of gardening and animal rearing. Skills for life!